South African companies trading outside SA are sometimes asked to provide a copy of their certificate of incorporation with an apostille. The certificate of incorporation is an official document provided to newly registered companies with the Company and Intellectual Property Commission also known as CIPC, the government Department responsible for company registrations in South Africa. It confirms the company’s name, date of incorporation, registered number, and country of registration. It establishes the company as a legal entity with an identity of its own.
The apostille certificate for a Certificate of Incorporation is required to trade or conduct business activities overseas. The apostille legalises the certificate of incorporation. It offers validation of the signatory’s identity and country of origin of the business. The apostille stamp also validates the date and place of certification and verifies the signatures of the authority that issued the certificate. This helps in establishing that the South African business is a legal entity. A Certificate of Incorporation with an apostille also helps in opening a bank account in another country.
If your company was registered in the last few years then you probably have an electronic copy of your certificate. Most South African companies are now formed online with the certificate being provided by the Company and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in PDF format. This can be emailed to us for processing.
Furthermore for older companies or those without an ‘official’ PDF version of the certificate do not worry. You can simply scan and email a copy of the document to us.
Get your Certificate of Incorporation apostilled in as little as 3 to 5 working days.
In South Africa, apostille certificate can be affixed on original document or on a notarised copy. Therefore, the document must be presented in good condition, with all stamps and signatures clear and readable. Additionally, the documents must be free of alien markings or labels.
Certain documents, such as police clearance certificates must be recent for obvious reasons. This may also apply to marriage certificates and other documents representing the current status of the people represented in the certificate.
